Trouble
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Atem has a history of getting his friends into trouble. For once that isn't the case. prideshipping m/m complete


Everything had been quiet that night. Kaiba Seto liked the quiet. It was when he was about to get most things done. When the company wasn't full of employees making mistakes, or meetings for new potential buyers, or demonstrations from the labs downstairs, things were easier to finish. He had been working on a project for nearly three months now. The date of release was creeping up closer and closer now. Early in the A.M. hours of the morning were the most productive time for him.

Yet no matter how much he had come to like the quiet, it always set a nervous beat to his heart. Quiet was good but it was also bad. Quiet used to mean a time when he'd have to listen hard for his step-father's footsteps behind him. Quiet usually indicated that something was about to go awry somewhere. There was never a time Kaiba was ever truly out of it. Even in the ease of work and keystrokes he had a sense about him. He could never afford to lose it.

It was why he was slightly startled to watch things go so quickly downhill. He'd only gotten up to refill his coffee from the machine in the corner of the office.

One, two, three steps to his right and then suddenly everything faded. Something hard came down at the base of his neck, rendering him completely unconscious in less time than it took him to try and make coffee.

When hazed blue eyes opened again the first thoughts were of how he was going to personally fire his security team. The next were disdain for his current surroundings; a small jail cell in a dank room. He didn't waste much energy in moving, eyes darting instead from corner to corner, trying to utilize and find everything that he could. Of course his cell phone and other useful items had been swiped from him. They'd even taken his business jacket for some reason, perhaps looking for something.

His hand went up to his tie to loosen it first before pulling it off completely. He then pulled himself to his feet, going over to the bars. His hands slid over them, feeling the material before testing it lightly with slight pushes and pulls. All of his movements were precise and gentle, not making much sound as he found his way around. He didn't want to tip his kidnappers off to anything too early.

Kidnappers.

As the word crossed his mind he thought of Mokuba. How strange, and quite stupid really, that they'd gone straight for him and not his little brother. He was of course grateful that they hadn't, but would have been (morbid as it was) used to it by now. This was a much different approach that would get whoever had taken him absolutely nowhere. He'd be sure to laugh in their face about it later. At least he could take solace to the fact that Mokuba was safe. Even if he was not there, Kaiba knew that the moment he'd gone missing, Mokuba would be escorted by Isono to the panic room inside the mansion. There he would stay until Seto turned up once more.

He looked out into the room once more, gauging the barriers of the walls around him for thickness. Once he was finished he took a step back and swiftly brought his leg up in a forceful kick. The sound reverberated around, the bars holding strong. Only a minute look of annoyance passed him before he moved back to the far corner of his jail cell again. If the small bits of metal had not been removed from his pocket he would have already been picking the lock of the door. As it was, he was left with no options until his captor showed his or her face to him.

Kaiba was forced to wait in silence for at least five hours before he finally heard noise beyond the main door of the room. It sounded as though a scuffle was going on. His arms crossed over his chest as he waited. Soon someone would show their face.

As the door swung open and he locked eyes with two people another stray thought passed him. How odd it was to see Atem here. Usually the shorter man was getting him into all sorts of trouble. Could it have been something like that now?

No, Kaiba quickly decided. For the first time, he'd managed to get Atem into trouble instead. The other looked slightly damaged. He was thrown to the floor, a heavy boot placed onto his back. A small pained grunt escaped him though he was decidedly going through more pain than he was letting on. Though Atem might have been the most powerful duelist Kaiba had known in his life, he was still a lithe and small man. Physical damage he could not hold his own against. A pity.

His eyes rose towards the man stepping on the King of Games. A very muscular man, broad shoulders and arms, bald- no, shaved head, dark brown eyes, a scar across his cheek.

"Here's the deal," He finally gruffed. His voice matched his appearance nicely. A gun was produced and quickly cocked. Kaiba remained still and calm, nearly disinterested in the whole scene. "Sign over all of your company assets and stocks to me."

Kaiba couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Hn. This is your plan? Bring him in here and hang his life in front of me so that I'll crumble and do what you say? A child could have done better."

The man's eyes narrowed. "You act tough and cool but I know what you two have been up to. I even have pictures to prove it."

Neither Kaiba nor Atem seemed to react much (probably less on Atem's part as his main focus at the moment was to try and be able to breathe with that weight pressed on him). It was a shame that their secret had gotten out, but not entirely detrimental. "And your point is?" Seto questioned.

"I'm gonna kill him if you don't hand it all over." He bent to press the muzzle of the gun against the back of Atem's head.

At this point Atem finally smirked. "You're pathetic."

"I agree." Kaiba concurred.

Their captor growled. "You're gonna lose him!"

"Go ahead and do it if you can but you're wasting everyone's time yapping about." Kaiba Seto, calm and cool as ever as his eyes left the beefy man's to go to Atem's. Atem stared back.

The sound of the gunshot was loud, the shortest in the room flinching only instinctively; nothing else had been spared. Kaiba hadn't even moved. The man placed the gun in his back pocket as he hauled Atem to his feet, opening the second cell to Kaiba's left and throwing him in. His ears were ringing quite loudly and he was slightly disoriented, not sure what was going on. Once the door was slammed shut he moved towards Kaiba's.

A glare was given from both men as they sized each other up. "Wouldn't even save your life for his company. Isn't that something?" He was obviously trying to goad Atem into some sort of emotional breakdown. After saying his peace he left, probably off to make some other half formed plans of failure.

Only once Kaiba was sure he had gone for good he stepped towards the bars that separated he and Atem. The other man was slowly pulling himself to his feet.

"How did you know it was a blank?" Kaiba asked.

"I didn't. You?"

Kaiba smirked. "No."

Atem's hands came around the bars, briefly reaching out to touch one of Kaiba's hands. Blue eyes lowered, the touch briefly returned before he forced his hand back to his side. The stark reality of the situation was Atem could have just been killed. Both of them had known that it seemed, both of them had done little about the situation. No crying, no begging, no pleading. It was ideal. It was why Kaiba was drawn to Atem in the first place. It was why this worked.

Both of them had known for a while now that should his life ever be weighted against Kaiba Corporation, against Mokuba's future, the latter would prevail. And when Atem had been warned of this fact when they'd started this relationship, he'd just grinned. _I can handle trouble._ He'd said. Without a whimper or a cry, it had seemed. This was why they worked and this was why their kidnapper would not be able to break either of them.

Crimson eyes stared up at Seto. "He'll be back."

"He will." A short response.

"He might try to break you again."

Kaiba scoffed. "We both know that isn't going to happen. Not with-" Not with Atem. Hopefully. His will was iron strong. Atem could handle whatever happened. Though Kaiba would carry the weight of responsibility for the rest of his life, he'd...

Atem reached out again. "Do you have a plan?" He tried to silence the line of thinking he could see flashing before the other's eyes.

"Always." Seto lied.

The shorter half-smiled. "Then hurry up and get us out of here."

"Always expecting me to bail you out?" Kaiba glared slightly at his impatience.

Atem couldn't resist a quiet chuckle. "I think it's the other way around for once."

"_Tch_." His eyes roved over Atem's form. "Take off your belt."

A thin eyebrow quirked before he did as was requested, unhooking his first belt and passing it through the bars. It was quickly stripped, the metal pulled out of it. That metal was forced and bent into a thinner piece, Kaiba walking towards the front of his cell again and inserting it into the front of the door. There was some slight fumbling, his eyes closing in concentration as he tried to feel his way around the tumblers. Atem watched in slight fascination. Finally a click and he moved out of his cell to quickly perform the same trick on Atem's. Once his door was opened Kaiba allowed a very brief sort of smirky smile.

"I need to get you a security team. Either that or teach you how to defend yourself."

To that Atem's lips pursed. "Now isn't the time." Picking on him after all of that...

"Now is the time. I'll show you how it's done." He took Atem's hand in his, holding just for a few seconds, a weak reassurance on his own part before he tried to pass it off as trying to hand Atem's broken belt back to him. "Let's go."

A confident nod was given as he smiled up at the brunet. "Ah."


End file.
